The MacBook has served me well for five years but it's on its last legs. It's starting to develop some little irregularities that together tell me it is not much longer for this world. After careful consideration I pulled the trigger on a new 13-inch MacBook Air.

It's important to understand that I have no shortage of mobile computing gear and frankly I didn't have to be in a hurry to replace the MacBook. Regular readers of this column know I have a Chromebook that I am happy with, and that I regularly use my iPad with a keyboard for mobile work sessions.

So why did I get the MacBook Air? I can answer that in one word: video. I used to do a lot of video reviews but admit that I stopped doing them because the old MacBook was just too darn slow at processing them. A 10 minute HD video review could take hours of editing and encoding on the old MacBook.

The desire to do lots of video work ruled out my using the Chromebook as a primary computer. It handles everything else I need just fine, but video work would be too much for its slower processor.

A MacBook Air (13-inch, 256GB) is on its way. It will be my primary computer at the desk, yet be able to go mobile if I want. I will migrate all my stuff from the old MacBook to the new Air as soon as it arrives in a few days and be up and running as before.

I have always found the Mac to be great with video work and that's pushed me toward the MacBook Air over other alternatives. One of those new MacBook Pros with Retina Display would have been ideal but I couldn't get over the sticker shock to buy one. As my colleague Adrian Kingsley-Hughes (@the_pc_doc) remarked about the MacBook Pro with Retina Display he just bought, the price "makes your eyes water".

I realize that other laptops would do what I want but I've never had a lick of trouble with my old MacBook and I expect the same with the new Air. I'll be happy with the MacBook Air and look forward to its arrival in a few days.

James Kendrick has been using mobile devices since they weighed 30 pounds, and has been sharing his insights on mobile technology for almost that long. Prior to joining ZDNet, James was the Founding Editor of jkOnTheRun, a CNET Top 100 Tech Blog that was acquired by GigaOM in 2008 and is now part of that prestigious tech network. James' w...
Full Bio